betty reviewed Wind Follower by Carole McDonnell
Review of 'Wind Follower' on 'Goodreads'
2 stars
I chose this book from the library on the basis of I liked the cover: a heuristic which has certainly resulted in many books being read that might not have been otherwise. I like that she's naked, but the impression given isn't one of powerlessness, or sexification.
First off, this book is essentially an examination of the effects of colonialism, and how colonialism also promoted the spread of Christianity-- written by a Black, Christian woman. I was completely unaware of this. Once again, my horizons have been broadened by the book-cover method!
As a story, I think the book works, but I'm not really able to evaluate it purely as a story, because I spent so much time boggling at the theological underpinnings.
"Wind Follower," Ganti said, "if you think the Angleni Good Book is truly the Lost Book, what will you do? [...] And yet, that such a lying …
I chose this book from the library on the basis of I liked the cover: a heuristic which has certainly resulted in many books being read that might not have been otherwise. I like that she's naked, but the impression given isn't one of powerlessness, or sexification.
First off, this book is essentially an examination of the effects of colonialism, and how colonialism also promoted the spread of Christianity-- written by a Black, Christian woman. I was completely unaware of this. Once again, my horizons have been broadened by the book-cover method!
As a story, I think the book works, but I'm not really able to evaluate it purely as a story, because I spent so much time boggling at the theological underpinnings.
"Wind Follower," Ganti said, "if you think the Angleni Good Book is truly the Lost Book, what will you do? [...] And yet, that such a lying and cruel people should have such a loving and near god."
Kaynu pointed to a boat floating toward the river. "Perhaps it is because their god is so near, so giving, and so forgiving that the Angleni are so selfish. Like spoiled children who know their parents love them, they know all things are theirs. They take without asking."
I mean, it would never have occurred to me that white peoples' entitlement complex comes literally from being god's chosen people. I'm trying to be open-minded to this interpretation, but my mind sort of shrinks from it.
Okay, so, putting that aside for a moment, I think the book did suffer somewhat, on a theological level, from trying to tie too many strands together. The story is that of Satha, a poor girl, and her rich but sickly husband, Loic. Satha, when kidnapped, becomes involved in a story where she is clearly cast as Hagar, to her captors' Abraham and Sarah.
Loic, while wandering the wilderness, seems to wander into and out of the role of John the Baptist, Elija, um, Naomi, (I'm not reading too much into this, I swear: when someone says "Where you go, I will go. Your people will be my people, and your god, my God," to him, I think I'm justified in making that connection,) Jesus, (he goes around putting peoples' ears back on!) and probably more I've lost track of. (I could make a somewhat sketchier case for St. Peter, too.) The result is a rather mixed metaphor.